Chapter 531: Pain

Khan didn't know how long had passed since the beginning of the battle, and keeping track of the flow of time was simply impossible. Wayne was a formidable opponent that didn't allow distractions. A single mistake would result in broken bones or worse.

Still, one thing was clear. Khan had to hurry if he hoped to do anything about the bomb and his companions. It was probably too late for the weapon already, but he would be fine with the terrorist attack as long as he saved his friends.

Khan and Wayne stared at each other for a few seconds. Wayne merely smiled while Khan did his best to gain as much information as possible in that short time.

Wayne's element was a mystery. Khan had his hypotheses, but they were useless in that situation. He simply didn't have time to find and exploit specific weaknesses.

Instead, Wayne's body was something Khan could study and understand in a short time. The darkness inside him and the mana flowing through his flesh were bright lights in Khan's eyes, and they brought their fair share of surprises.

Khan had cut Wayne twice but had failed to pierce his bones both times. The wound on his chest had severed the flesh, but the rib cage had protected the organs underneath. Wayne had also stopped the attack before the knife could touch his throat, making the injury far from fatal.

The same went for the wound on Wayne's left arm, even if the knife had cut deeper there. A chunk of flesh hung from Wayne's forearm, ready to fall. Khan could almost see the bone. Yet, Wayne's dark tracksuit got in the way, limiting Khan's inspection to the lack of leaking blood.

The previous exchanges made that lack of blood easier to believe. Khan had cut all kinds of flesh but had never found something as unique as Wayne. His body wasn't only unreasonably strong and tough. It also showed functions that normal human beings shouldn't have.

Khan's perspective was quite broad. He had met multiple species, and his very body was unusual. Accepting that Wayne's flesh didn't stick to human standards was the easy part. Instead, understanding its limits was hard, especially when it seemed that his muscles instinctively reacted to incoming threats.

A realization quickly spread in Khan's mind. The amount of mana inside Wayne's body and its flow created a precise and sad picture. Even after the transformation, Khan couldn't hope to overpower Wayne, and that annoying element seemed to lock him out of any spell-related approach.

"Are you hesitating, brother?" Wayne asked. "Don't tell me that you built your fame running away."

There was a time when Khan would have considered that option. After all, survival instincts were a core part of every living being, and even someone as hurt as Khan still experienced their effects.

However, Khan dreaded a different kind of pain over his own death. He had lived the life of a survivor who lost everything and would do anything to avoid returning to it. Dying was almost easy when he compared the emptiness of his nightmares to the recent period's happiness.

"You talk about fame," Khan coldly said, "Feelings, light, and darkness. It's time you learnt about desperation."

Wayne laughed, but Khan materialized in front of him before he could say anything. He lifted his glowing knife, aiming directly at the center of Wayne's rib cage, but the debris under him moved, making his feet dig into the rocks and disrupting his balance.

The mana around the knife also lost power, but Khan pushed it forward anyway. The weapon missed its initial target but stabbed Wayne's left side right under the rib cage. The blade dug deep into the flesh before the muscles tightened their grip on it, stopping its advance.

Wayne appeared unperturbed by that new injury. Excitement shone on his face as he spread his arms. The broad movement opened the wound on his chest and revealed his rib cage, but Khan ignored that sight to focus on his mana.

Khan let go of the knife when he felt the obstruction of Wayne's muscles. Mana gathered in his palm right afterward, transforming into a flare that tried to take the shape of a spear. Another tremor arrived, destabilizing and attempting to disperse that energy, but Khan doubled down on his attack.

Wayne was closing his arms, aiming his open palms at Khan's head. Yet, the purple-red mana between the two grew blinding, making them unable to see. Khan even sent more energy to that unstable flare, triggering an explosion before Wayne could complete his attack.

A bright pillar replaced the two men, flinging them away in opposite directions. Wayne quickly tried to restore his balance, sliding on the rocky ground to stop his momentum. However, his abdomen couldn't accumulate strength, making him fall headfirst into the ground.

Wayne planted his hands on the rocks to stand up, but his body went against that move. He couldn't send power into those muscles, so he relied on his back to sit on his knees, revealing the reason behind his recent failures.

One peek at the torso told Wayne everything he needed to know. Charred, fuming, and missing flesh filled his vision. His abdomen and chest had become a mess of injuries, making certain moves anatomically impossible.

Wayne didn't let that damage discourage him. His back and legs were still fine, and he would keep fighting even if his waist fell off. However, a fuming figure suddenly materialized before him, and its horrid state left him speechless.

Khan had deployed the [Blood Shield] before the detonation, but his skin had still paid a hefty price. Clotted blood vessels covered his right arm, torso, and face but didn't hide his injuries. His skin had disappeared in many areas, and even his head carried the consequences of the scorching attack.

"What?" Wayne gasped when he saw Khan stretching his right arm to summon his mana again. A tremor tried to disperse it, but that only made Khan send more energy, ultimately generating another explosion.

Wayne's face burned as he rolled backward. The explosion wasn't as intense as the previous one, but he lacked the muscles to interrupt the force it generated.

As for Khan, he also flew backward. His eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair burned as he slid on the rocky ground. He couldn't move his fingers, and pain assaulted his mind from every direction. However, he didn't falter. His legs still worked, and nothing else mattered.

The rocks' friction force eventually stopped Wayne. He found himself belly up, with the knife stabbed deeper into his side. His body was mostly unresponsive, but he could see Khan accelerating toward the underground passage.

Azure mana flared out of Wayne's body, enveloping his entire figure into thin threads that became invisible once the technique was complete. Then, his back oddly bent upward, allowing him to plant his feet on the ground and straighten his position.

The underground passage was about to enter Khan's range when a bright figure appeared on his right. Wayne was running at full speed as if all his muscles were still intact, and a quick calculation told Khan that he would intercept him.

Wayne wasn't actually shining. That was only a side-effect of Khan's superior vision. He could see the mana around him replacing his muscles and allowing him to move normally. Those threads were clearly part of an incredible non-elemental spell, but Khan only took notice of their lack of defensive features.

Khan lifted his fuming hand to summon mana. The spear managed to take shape at that time, but another annoying tremor escaped Wayne when he jumped forward.

The glowing weapon lost its stability, threatening to detonate on the spot. Khan tried to wield it, but his fingers didn't answer, so he limited himself to pushing it in Wayne's direction.

The spear exploded, generating a violent pillar that sent the two men flying away. Khan resorted to the [Blood Shield] to protect himself from fatal damage, and Wayne crossed his arms for a similar purpose. However, his long hair and eyebrows burned under the heat released by the attack.

Khan flew, lightly tapping on the air a few times to land comfortably on the rocks. He could use his martial arts to their fullest when Wayne was distracted and far away, but his body rebelled, generating violent coughs that made him bend forward.

"I see, I see!" Wayne's hoarse laugh resounded from the other side of the dispersing bright mana. "You are amazing, brother. I'm feeling so much I might explode!"

Khan forced himself to peek at the dispersing mana while coughs still controlled his throat. The radiant energy vanished, revealing Wayne's standing figure walking toward him. His condition was far poorer than Khan's. Some of his organs were literally in the open, but only a small amount of blood escaped his body, and none of that damage hindered his movements.

"However," Wayne continued, spreading his arms and showing even more of his hideous state, "Luck is my reign. You shouldn't have challenged me in that field."

"So," Khan coughed one last time, "It was luck."

"Bad luck, to be precise," Wayne declared, his voice carrying the seriousness of his injuries. "Things go bad because I exist, but you are showing me new heights!"

"New heights," Khan scoffed, straightening his position. "You are so clueless."

"We'll see about that," Wayne shouted. "Come! Fight away the pain and show me more!"

"Pain," Khan sighed, a clicking growl fusing with his voice. "You have no idea what pain really is."